Have a new cat and he's been hiding since Saturday (two days ago)

[CozyBreakfast]

We adopted a new cat to give our other cat Clara, who's 17, a friend since her uncle and aunt passed. He's I think 5 1/2. On Saturday he hid in his cubby hole in the scratching post (we got that for him since he went there a lot in PetSmart). He took to me and my mom right away the times we saw him before we took him home the day we got him. The day we picked him up he wouldn't come down for us. The lady who was working with them had to go up a couple of times to get him.

Our new cat was also there with another cat who he lived with, around the same age, but the worker said they weren't bonded. The other cat was adopted and taken home the night before our's. The worker said maybe the kittens there took over since the other cat who was taken home and he was shy.

Our cat was in the cubby hole since late in the afternoon yesterday before we nudged him out of there. He then hid and ran underneath my bed. He hasn't seemed to eat or drink yet, aside from the licking his face when I put water and food on it, so not much if anything at all. We finally got him out from underneath my bed this afternoon and got him back in the cubby hole which is much better.

He lets me pet him, bit his feather toy one time, and he was even purring yesterday once. The woman from PetSmart said he loves laser pointers, and to get a good one from Wal*Mart or wherever.

Any advice? Should I just wait it out?

 

[Babypinkweeb]

Assuming he is in a separate isolated room for proper slow introduction, some cats can take a while to get used to new surroundings. If you have water and food out, try to leave him alone and maybe he will eat and drink. You can consider buying a cheap camera to monitor his room while you're not there. He may need time and patience to feel more comfortable in this brand new place.

My 2nd cat is rather skittish and timid even though he is also very affectionate. When I first brought him home, he often hid behind the toilet (I had him in our 2nd bathroom as it was the only spare room we can keep closed for him). He only ate and drank when I'm not in the room. Even now if there's landscaping or vacuuming he will hide in the cat tree the whole day.

 

[FeebysOwner]

This new cat is not a kitten, and you likely don't know his background to know what he may or may not have been through, but your best bet is NOT to force anything on the cat. Let him take his time to get acclimated at his own pace. He could take some time to adapt since he is older, and ideally, he needs a place of his own - a single room to deal with at first.

Make sure you have food/water/litter box nearby and let him get adjusted to a safe place - ideally this cubby hole is in a single room and not in a high traffic area. Here are some TCS articles that might help you to devise an appropriate plan for your new cat now and another for when it is time to introduce him to your resident cat.
How To Help A New Cat Adjust To Your Home – TheCatSite Articles
How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide – TheCatSite Articles

 

[game misconduct]

just wait things out with patience he just got taken from familiar "safe" surroundings into the unknown"scary/dangerous" surroundings which includes all kinds of unknown scents and smells/noises etc.depending on his personality dominant /confidence etc. can be days /weeks for him to be out moving around some cats just arent phased and settle right in

 

[CozyBreakfast]

Thank you for the replies so far!

Also I have to mention that the reason he and the other cat were put up for adoption is because the man who had them before passed (used to work with PetSmart and knew the woman there).

We live in a small apartment so finding an area without a lot of traffic could be tricky. Perhaps the closet in the hallway (even though we're always going there, maybe he'd like it as he his own little room?)

 

[CozyBreakfast]

Also Clara always tries and does eats his food! She always loves food. We try to keep her away, but of course we can't always stop her.

 

[LTS3]

14 Cat Experts Reveal - How To Get A Cat To Like Me - TheCatSite

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16 Top Cat Experts Share Tips For Dealing With Timid Cats - TheCatSite

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10 Must-know Tips For Happy Living With A Shy Cat - TheCatSite

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You may need to get one of those microchip feeders so Clara doesn't eat the new cat's food. Or keep the new cat in the bathroom or extra bedroom with everything he needs until he settles in more.

 

[Mighty Orange]

Takes time, I'm on the third month and finally got them to go to the first floor and jump on my bed.

 

[CozyBreakfast]

When I was eating dinner in the living room he actually came out and had a few licks of water! Then he went around a couple of minutes, including in the bathroom, meowed a couple of times, looked at Clara eating chicken, then went back to his cubby hole. I didn't say anything to him, and my mom only said one thing to him without saying his name. We let him be.

 

[FeebysOwner]

If you can't separate the cats and do proper introductions, then do what you can do and hope for the best. He does need to be able to eat without feeling pressure from Clara taking his food.

 

[CozyBreakfast]

He did drink a little last night, but I still don't know if he ate, and we've had him since Saturday. My mom talked to the receptionist at the vet today. Hopefully we can talk to the vet tomorrow. In the meantime we have to figure out a way to separate him and Clara.

 

[CozyBreakfast]

Last night I decided to give him "rough" petting. He actually was moving around, playing, and going to everybody (he did have contact with Clara and hissed at her at one point). He drank a good amount. He ate only one piece of dry food. Today my mom talked to the receptionist at our vet. She suggested to my mom to go in the bathroom with him and shut the door. She did that for an hour, but he was scratching and crying. I'm gonna give him my A2 milk later (should it be warm?) and I bought chicken broth for him today. If things don't change at the vet by Monday we're going to have to take him as soon as possible.